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Signal, The
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 24 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Horror
Written by:
David Bruckner
Dan Bush
Jacob Gentry
Directed by:
David Bruckner
Dan Bush
Jacob Gentry
Release Date:
Theatrical: February 22, 2008
DVD: June 10, 2008
Running Time: 99 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language and brief nudity
Starring Robin Acker, Jeff Adelman, J. Howard Bach, Ben Bailey, Becky Ballard, Ngozi Lamar Beane, Biluxi, and AJ Bowen
It's New Year's Eve in the city of Terminus, and chaos is this year's resolution. All forms of communication have been jammed by an enigmatic signal that preys on the fears and desires of everyone in the city. Told in three parts from three unique perspectives by three visionary directors, The Signal is a horrific journey toward discovering that the most brutal monster might actually be within all of us. (Magnolia Pictures)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site View the Trailer
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Film Threat Jeremy Knox
If you’re tired of zombie films or rabid people films, Signal is like a cool drink of water on a hot day. It’s got all the goodness from the best of those genres while creating its own niche at the same time.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Both apocalyptic and suitably vague, The Signal's only serious weakness comes from some borderline histrionic performances; then again, it's tough to call hysteria anything other than a sane response to a world gone mad. Crazy, man.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Wesley Morris
The Signal is like a Romero zombie movie in which the zombies aren't dead, they're just really temperamental. Evil here is technology-born. Maybe our cellphones and satellite dishes are giving us all the crazy.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
The film suffers slightly from diminishing returns -- its first third is by far its scariest -- but it's still a bold, artful take on a popular horror idea.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Tirdad Derakhshani
The Signal has its share of things to say about urban paranoia, road rage, addiction - whether to sex, drugs or, more dangerously, consumerism. But it stands apart from other pictures of the same ilk by using its apocalypse as a backdrop to a bitter-sweet love story.
Read Full Review >New York Post V.A. Musetto
Unlike traditional zombie romps, these crazies don't stumble around mindlessly, noshing on human flesh. They look and act like normal people - until the second they go bonkers.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin
The gimmicky yet strangely moving new fright flick The Signal distinguishes itself not through originality, but by smartly integrating just about every popular trend afflicting contemporary horror films.
Read Full Review >Variety Robert Koehler
Borrowing heavily from the current trend in zombie comedy and apocalyptic horror but shifting it away from the usual undead norms, pic carves out a fresh angle in the crowded indie horror universe while blatantly stealing ideas from Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Pulse."
Read Full Review >The New York Times Matt Zoller Seitz
Part 1, directed by David Bruckner is superb, with affecting performances, a sense of dread reminiscent of John Carpenter’s “Prince of Darkness” and many striking images. Part 2, directed by Dan Bush aims for George Romero-style ghastly humor, but it’s more grating than funny. Part 3, directed by Jacob Gentry adds a splash of tragic love, but its preference for gore over feeling becomes monotonous.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Mostly comes down to rage fiends going at one another with baseball bats, knives, pesticide tanks, and power drills.
Read Full Review >Washington Post John Anderson
In a movie about perception, misperception and the ramifications of misunderstanding, it's a bit ironic that the directors can't get out of one another's way.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
Just another low-budget effort from filmmakers who mistake cleverness for smarts.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Jim Ridley
This uneven but impressive shot-on-digital shocker earns a marker in the mausoleum of apocalyptic horror--a genre that's proving (un)surprisingly durable in the new century.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
The picture eventually collapses under the weight of its own gimmickry, but it's still an entertaining distraction for cerebral horror fans who want an appetizer before the B-horror feast that is "Diary of the Dead."
Read Full Review >New York Magazine David Edelstein
The movie has grand (and Grand Guignol) bits and pieces, but despite the hype it’s no big deal. By horror standards, the premise isn’t especially outlandish.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
It doesn't take long for the The Signal's promising beginning to fade into a haze that leaves the viewer exhausted and irritated.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Sam Adams
The Signal combines the inconstancy of an omnibus film with the blandness of art by committee. The end result feels less like a blend of distinct styles than an opportunistic hodgepodge, a second-hand premise wedded to an attention-grabbing gimmick.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 6.0 (out of 10) based on 24 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Brent W gave it a9:
A good flick to watch when it's about 3 in the morning, you're surrounded by friends, and you're all fans of satire and observational humor. The thriller aspects of the movie are ok, a little over the top as times and absurd at others, but meshes well with the idea that people'll use whatever they can get the hands on, and some of them might even be creative. The 'humor' mentioned earlier isn't something that everyone's going to find in this movie. You've got to be a Richard Pryor or George Carlin type of fan to notice some of things in the background and be able to bust out laughing at them for no apparent reason. The love story aspect of the movie is...Well, kind of a let down. Love stories are fine and everything, but it just doesn't fit well with the rest of the movie. Conversely, it does work nicely as an extra bit of material for the film. I guess if they had to throw SOMETHING else in, they didn't make the worst possible choice.
Paulio G gave it a7:
An interesting movie, not a huge movie, but entertaining. The human race, or at least what we see of it in these few characters, have been spiked, and their mostly on a bad trip.
Benjamin C gave it a9:
An excellent psychological horror film that I believe will eventually become a cult classic.
Ross T gave it a9:
Edgy, scary, unpredictable, funny and really well cast and acted.
eiffel gave it a9:
Fantastic. original screenplay that doesn't borrow from other movies. smart and evolving. characters stay fresh by being multidimensional. doesn't try to prove anything or teach the viewer but in the end gives a satisfying insight into the human psych. its funny at times which puts your guard down and it's completely never obvious and keps you guessing. if you liked wristcutters you'll love this.
Sean R gave it a9:
I loved this film. The idea of media saturation weakening our wills and making us susceptible to baser and sometimes murderous impulses caused by a mysterious cross-media signal--its amazing. the tonal shifts added a lot to the enjoyment as well. Well done to everyone involved in making this fantastic film.
J R gave it a9:
Don't listen to the naysayers. An excellent, highly original take on a worn-out genre. Very intense - can be tough to watch at times, but still highly, highly recommended.
